Searchspring vs. Forma, now part of Snapchat vs. Webtrends Optimize

Search Spring offers strong options for search customizations: synonyms, redirects, query replacements, spell corrections, etc. We enjoy the ability to boost and unique product display options. We were 4Tell customers prior to the Search Spring acquisition and we're looking forward to both being part of one console. Search Spring is a really solid, stable search/merch platform that I would recommend for any mid-market business.

Incentivized

Very good for smaller stores, very easy to start and expand. Swimwear is a good use case, people want to know what they look like in swimwear. Also it works best on phones so it's good if customers shop on mobile. Not good if you are not on Shopify, it won't work. Also maybe not good for very high-end luxury brands, users who upload photos use their camera phones and not beautiful like models.

Webtrends optimize is a marketing solution aimed squarely at transactional and eCom based websites. I would only recommend a colleague to engage with the solution once the marketing dept is at a point where their website is fully optimized in regards to SEO and all the other fundamentals in order to truly build upon what Webtrends can offer. This shows you an easier way of measuring your ROI and the money you will invest with the tool-moving forward.

Incentivized

• SearchSpring can pull in products that match specific terms according to your customizations in their dashboard.
• SearchSpring can change the main image of products to reflect what is being searched for, such as a specific color.
• SearchSpring can account for misspellings and typos in the search bar by using search customizations.

Incentivized

• Keep customers on my site for longer
• Easy to try and expand, they use my existing product photos
• Free unless you want a special design
• Good support

• Intuitive test set-up makes for a low learning curve.
• Ability to create custom data tables which enable exporting of visitor level data for more in-depth analysis outside of the Webtrends Optimize platform.
• Visual Editor WYSIWYG interface enables non-technical users to easily execute basic tests.

• Developing 'cocktails' of different ranking criteria. At the moment we can only serve results based on either 'relevancy' or 'sales performance'. It would be great to not only have the ability to blend these two options (by search term), but also add additional facets into the mix, such as stock quantity, margin, sponsorship factor etc...
• Provide financing reporting on results - so we know how much revenue/conversion has been driven from specific search terms. For example, "Baby Milk" drove 50 searches, 6 direct conversions (customers that searched went on to buy an item(s) that were recommended), 16 indirect conversions (customers that searched went on to buy other item(s) not severed).

Incentivized

• Takes a couple days to add products. Would be better if it were instant.
• Only on Shopify. I told a friend who sells on Woo Commerce and it wouldn't work.

• The cost is a factor. When you're trying to save money, particularly as a startup (a lot of our clients are up-and-comers) it has to be seen as an investment...but the cost to implement the system is fairly large.
• There's a bit of a steep learning curve, you can't just dive into the program.
• It's not impossible but it's not as easy as snapping your fingers to easily implement the program cross-platform.

Incentivized

Difficulty was getting business units to take the time and spend the money to test, and then implement, best options.

Set up of basic tests that do not use segmentation or targeting is an intuitive experience that can be learned quickly by new users. However, as the need for segmentation and other more advanced capabilities arise, the experience begins to degrade.

zero complaints. I'm not aware of it ever failing.

Zero complaints. It seemed to do its job quickly and accurately.

We have a monthly phone call with our account manager, and she is available for calls in between as well. She has always been accessible. Working with her has been easy and she has provided training where needed. She is proactive in making sure we have everything we need and feel comfortable with the platform.

Incentivized

The support from the team at Webtrends Optimize is unparalleled. There is always someone to consult should there be any issues.

Online training was ok. Because every test is a custom test, there's only so much that can be covered in a generic lesson.

Implementation was pretty straightforward

Nextopia’s features were on par or better than consideration set at a lower cost and with an easier implementation. Contract terms were also more favorable.

Incentivized

We heard of 3D Look but needs 3D cameras, too expensive so didn't really try. True Fit is what many bigger companies use but it's expensive and doesn't work well

Webtrends Optimize can be used for much more complex tests, allows better conversion tracking and data collection. Visual Website Optimizer (VWO) is suitable for smaller, simple projects. Webtrends Optimize comes with an excellent consultancy that could save you a lot of time and resources

• Increased our site search speed.
• Increased conversion rate.
• Increase in sales by boosting best sellers and relevant items throughout the year.

Incentivized

• Very big impact on session time
• Helps with getting store visitors. But I use the virtual fitting room in marketing
• Any new business is good since it's free

• So far we haven't seen an ROI that we can accurately measure due to only running a couple of tests that haven't resulted in direct, site wide changes. However, we have learnt a lot about how to set up the right processes and documentation.